Kanat Assaubayev is one of Kazakhstan's leading entrepreneurs in the natural resources sector. Mr. Assaubayev was the first Kazakh to receive a doctorate in metallurgy. His early career was in academia where he was the Chairman of the Metallurgy and Mining Department of Kazakh National Polytechnic University. He subsequently began his business career in the 1990s and has led a number of natural resources enterprises to national and international success.